Chapter Text
"You're being awfully fucking quiet now," Daniel calls as he adjusts his socks and slips his foot into some Italian loafer Armand purchased. "We were arguing and now you're quiet. You pulling a Marilyn on me in the bathroom?"
Silence answers, not even movement.
Daniel sighs. He's probably standing stock still like a statue and staring at himself in the mirror. He slowly stands and makes his way to the bathroom doorway, expecting Armand to be disassociating. He mentally prepares himself to start helping Armand ground himself back into reality but Armand is not standing. He's sitting on the floor, arms wrapped around his knees, hugging them tight to his chest, chin on his knees.
And he's trembling.
Well, that's a new panic response he's yet to see from him.
"Armand?"
Armand doesn't respond. He remains trembling and staring at nothing. Daniel slowly eases down to crouch, feeling his knees creak. If only Armand had turned him at thirty and not seventy.
"Armand."
Armand looks at him but Daniel frowns. The look in his eyes is not the same. His eyes are large and wide, misted over, and there's something different about them. There's not full recognition in the stare. He's frightened. "He's sorry," Armand whispers.
"Who's sorry?"
"Armand is sorry. He's sorry. He's sorry—"
Daniel frowns. "We're doing a third person type thing now?" he asks flatly. "That's new, but okay, sure, whatever."
Armand begins to rock back and forth. "He's really sorry."
Daniel studies Armand more, his head tilting. His hair is slicked back for the event they were going to earlier but Armand's mussed it up again so only pieces of it still remain styled down with gel and the rest is a messy nest. "Look at me."
Armand flinches but he casts his fearful eyes toward Daniel again. The fear in his eyes is childlike and Daniel can't see Armand in them at all.
"Who are you?" Daniel whispers, even if he feels insane asking it. "You're not Armand, are you?"
Armand— Not-Armand shakes his head. "Arun," he whispers.
Daniel's eyes widen.
“He was rescued from a brothel when he was fifteen, named named Arun then, I think. I cannot be sure. The abuse in the brothel was such that he cannot be sure that's what his parents named him. Arun. The parents that sent him to work on a merchant boat in Delhi when in actuality they had sold him into slavery to the ship's captain. All fragments.”
The words echo around Daniel's thoughts as he recalls the story that had been told to him via Armand and Louis during the interview. Arun. Armand was once Arun but as far as he knows, Armand hadn't been Arun in well over five centuries.
"Arun," Daniel repeats and then he softens his tone, even though he's panicking inside. "Okay. Arun. Um, do you know who I am or where you are?"
Arun starts to speak and the language is unknown to him but it is fast and comes with an accent he's never heard Armand use. Then he stops, his voice cutting out when he realizes what he's doing. "I'm sorry. I"ll be good. I'll be good."
Daniel gently places a hand on Arun's shoulder. "It's okay," he says quietly. "How old are you, Arun?" Daniel mentally prepares himself for a worst case scenario.
"I don't know," Arun whispers. "I— I don't remember my birthday. I think I'm eight."
"Eight," Daniel replies, his voice heavier than he intends. Holy shit fuck. He has no idea how to fucking handle this. Not even a little. "Okay," he manages. "Okay. Um, let's— let's go sit, okay? I'm Daniel. Daniel Molloy. Do you… Do you know Armand?"
If Armand had others in him, maybe they all knew one another. Maybe he could get Armand back quickly.
Arun looks afraid again and he starts to cry. The fear in his eyes breaks Daniel's heart. "He's going to be mad at me," Arun whispers. "I'm not supposed to be here. When you're here."
"He told you that?"
"He tells me to hide."
Daniel takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out. "Well, if you know him, then you've heard of me, I hope at least."
Arun nods confirmation.
"Good. Okay." Daniel slowly stands and steps back. "Can you get up?"
Arun slowly unfolds and rises. Daniel takes a step back. Armand is a few inches taller than him and he's never minded before but in this context, with Arun presenting in the body of a six foot tall, five hundred and fourteen year year old vampire? It's a strange image to reconcile.
Daniel nods and he slowly steps back and watches Arun rush from the bathroom. He's still dressed in Armand's suit, feet bare because Armand hated socks, and he hurries to sit on the bed, grabbing a pillow to hug to his chest. He continues to rock back and forth. Daniel takes a deep breath. "I need to make a call, okay? You stay here for me?"
"Yes," Arun whispers. "I'll be good."
"Thank you, Arun." Daniel steps out of the room onto their balcony, shutting the French door behind him. He takes a moment to catch his breath, his mind reeling. He can't remember a time ever in knowing Armand back when he was in San Francisco where he ever presented like this. As someone else entirely.
He closes his eyes and slowly reaches out toward Louis in his mind. It takes him a moment to find him but once he does, his words out in a rush. Louis, are you busy? Say you're not, motherfucker, I've got questions.
Daniel? What's wrong?
You with Lestat right now?
I am. Why?
I need you to be unbusy and focused.
I am focused, Daniel. Lestat is on the phone. He's busy. What's up?
I don't know how to fucking ask this so I'm just going to say it. Did Armand ever act… different around you? Call himself Arun? Become childlike?
There is a long pause and Daniel feels a storm of anxiety turn into a knot in his gut.
Oh. Ah, well, I guess it took him long enough to do that shit around you.
You knew about this? What the fuck man—
Look, it's not a big deal, Daniel. Just ignore him. He'll become Armand again in a few hours. Two days max.
Daniel blinks, taken aback. Ignore him? Why the fuck would he ignore Armand — Arun? He was clearly a frightened child. In Armand's body but still a child in his mind.
I'm not going to fucking ignore him. What the hell is wrong with you? You ignored him when he was like this?
Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. It's not like Armand wants it advertised. He doesn't do it that often. It happens when he's really stressed. Did you have a fight?
Yes but we fight all the fucking time.
Well, something has him stressed. Again, just ignore it. Call him by his real name. Armand always comes back eventually.
Daniel shakes his head, his jaw clenching. Fuck you, Louis. He pulls away and debates on asking Lestat the same question but Lestat finds him first.
Dan.
Lestat. Let me guess, you've eavesdropping and have more shit to say.
Armand is regressed back to being Arun?
Did he ever do that with you?
No. But… I doubt he ever felt safe enough to do so. We didn't exactly live in a nice time, Dan. We did our best to survive. I… I hesitate to admit this but I have experience with this regression if you will.
You do. He's not sure he can believe that. By who? Certainly not Louis—
Me. I have… a personal connection to the behavior. It cannot be controlled. If you wish to have Armand back, I suggest caring for Arun. Show him kindness. Is he a child? Arun?
He's eight years old. Yes.
You've had children, Dan. Treat him like a child. Armand is still in there but he isn't… available right now. You might be able to talk him back but it is more likely if you give him kindness, he will return of his own will.
Daniel blinks a few times as he takes this in. Lestat's words make sense; he wasn't exactly going to treat Arun like shit. But… knowing he should treat Arun as Arun and not Armand is helpful. You've done this?
Do not tell Louis. Please. Lestat's voice teeters into genuine, painful begging and Daniel almost feels sorry for him. I do not believe he will handle the knowledge well. I… I struggled with it more when Gabrielle was here but now that she is gone, I am doing better. Not that you asked— forget I said anything, just treat Arun as Arun. He isn't Armand.
Heard….. Thanks. Tell Louis to get fucked.
And then Daniel pulls back from their connection. He sighs, rubbing his face with his hands for a moment before mentally preparing himself to go back inside. He used to have young daughters. He was never a good father but he has had some parenting experience. Granted, it's 2026 and times are very different from when he'd raised Lenora and Kate. But some things stay true across the ages.
Daniel opens the balcony door and steps back into the room, moving slow and deliberate so Arun can hear and see him. Which the boy does, his frightened eyes locking onto Daniel immediately, following his every move like Daniel may spring at him any moment.
Daniel sits down in a chair opposite the bed, giving them space. He clasps his hands together, so Arun can see them. "I know this must be terrifying for you, Arun," Daniel says, voice soft. "And I'm really sorry about that. Armand and I were going to go somewhere but how about you and I stay in instead? Do you like movies?"
Arun shrugs. "He doesn't let me come out," he says quietly. "He doesn't like it when I do. Right now. He's shamed."
"Well, he and I can talk about that later, okay? But right now, it's you and me. Which it's nice to meet you." Daniel removes his shoes and takes off his jacket. The gallery event will have to wait. "You hungry?"
For a moment, Arun looks at him with a distrusting eye but then he nods rapidly. "Yes. Please."
"Okay. What do you like to eat?" Daniel rises slowly to his feet and his heart hurts when Arun flinches back against the headboard. He keeps his movements careful, slow, and steady as he crosses over to pick up the room service menu. They'd ordered quite a bit last night but there was always room on Armand's seemingly unlimited black card.
His mind is still reeling over dealing with a child versus his companion. He has no idea how they're going to handle sleeping tonight. He supposes he can sleep on the floor or ask for a rollaway. He isn't exactly comfortable with sleeping next to his lover when he was in this mental state. It felt wrong.
"I don't know," Arun replies. He speaks the strange language again and like before it cuts out like his vocal cords are severed. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Daniel says, noting Arun's strange accent remains. It's almost close to how he imagines Armand might sound if he embraced his Indian heritage but he's unsure there is a modern equivalent to the accent Arun has. His English is decent but Daniel can tell he picks small and easy words he's most likely memorized.
Daniel opens the menu and glances at Arun, noting that the boy has finally stopped hugging his knees, and is instead playing with a loose thread on Armand's jacket. He pulls at it, unraveling the stitch. That makes him smile because he knows Armand would be pissed. It's kind of cute. Amusing. He glances at the menu and looks through it. He knows what Armand will eat but Arun is a mystery.
However, there is a kid's menu.
Granted, it's probably nothing like what Arun would expect.
Daniel calls down to the kitchen and orders everything off the kid's menu which he knows is probably a head scratcher but he throws in something he'll eat and something Armand would eat if he were here. Who knows, maybe staring at children's food long enough will bring Armand flying back into his mind.
"Alright," Daniel says. "Dinner will be up soon." He sets the menu down and moves to put the television on. He flips through the channels until he finds a channel built for kids. Maybe he's infantalizing Arun too much but he's eight. Eight year olds are still children, whether they're from 1450-whatever or 2025.
Arun stares at his lap and sniffs. "Are you angry?"
"Angry? Why would I be angry?"
"I ruined everything," Arun says.
"You haven't ruined anything, Arun." Daniel sits down in the seat he was in earlier. "It's alright. You're safe and you don't have to worry about upsetting me. I'm not upset. I… admit I'm confused but that's for me and Armand to talk about. It's not your fault."
Arun slowly looks up and his eyes are painfully lost and innocent. No longer the monster beneath Armand's mask staring at him. This is pure child-like fear and wonder. "He's so angry."
Daniel's heart aches. "Can you tell him I said it's okay?"
Arun shrugs. "He never talks to me. He only talks to Amadeo."
Amadeo. The boy he used to be in Marius' clutches. That makes him feel nauseated but he doesn't show it. "Amadeo's there, too?"
"Sometimes," Arun replies. "More than me."
Daniel studies Arun, the way his face — still Armand's — is softer and carries less weight but there is still a deep and dark sadness in his eyes. No child should have ever faced what Arun faced his entire life. When did Arun die and when did Amadeo come to life? When had Armand been born? Daniel fights a wave of tears and he blinks them away before Arun notices.
"Well, maybe I'll meet him another time," Daniel concedes.
Arun nods. "Yes."
He lets out a breath and they go quiet with Arun stroking the blanket on the bed, his eyes fixated on the light pattern stitched along the surface. The TV plays on but neither of them watch. Daniel watches Arun and Arun ignores him. They both startle when there is a knock at the door and Daniel places a finger to his lips. Arun nods, seeming to understand, as Daniel makes his way to answer.
The room service, right.
Daniel allows them to bring in their trays of food and once they're gone he unveils each dish one by one. The kids' food is standard fare — there's a cheese pizza, macaroni and cheese, a small steak with mashed potatoes, three tiny burger sliders with fries, and spaghetti with one medium sized meatball. He glances back at Arun and notes the way he's craning his neck to see what's been brought.
"Come pick out what you like, Arun," Daniel offers. He moves away so Arun won't feel crowded, taking his plate back to his seat.
Arun slinks across the bed and makes his way over to the table, studying the foods on offering. His fingers touch the plates, flinching back more than once when they're a bit hot. He glances at what Daniel had picked out for Armand — Tartiflette.
Arun glances back at him. "For me?"
"Yeah, help yourself," Daniel says.
Arun glances at the food again and surprisingly he picks up the dish that was ordered for Armand. He sits right there at the table and Daniel watches him fold his overly long limbs to sit cross legged at the table, his fork picking at the meal careful and slow. More than once, he glances over at Daniel as though Daniel may tell him to stop but after the fourth time, he finally relaxes and eats quietly.
While Arun eats Armand's meal, Daniel's mind is a mess. Louis had said it could be a few hours or a few days. Lestat said to treat Arun like Arun and to let Armand return on his own. He has no idea what to do in the interim. He can do his best to entertain Arun and renew their room until Armand comes back. He's unsure if Armand would want to go out into public like this. Had the Coven known about this? Had Armand ever taken a backseat to the two boys who called his mind their home?
How often did this happen and why? Louis had said stress would cause episodes. They fought all of the time but tonight's fight had been different. Armand had misinterpreted something Daniel had said.
"I will never be able to make up for my cowardice, will I?" Armand asked. "Never. No matter what I do, or say, or give— it will never be enough. It will never even be sufficient, will it? I will never be sufficient. Not for you. Not for anyone."
Daniel replays Armand's last sentence before he went silent in the bathroom. He sighs, rubbing at his face again. He'd caused Armand to spiral and he hadn't meant to. Fuck, he thinks, glad for once, that he and Armand are barred from one another mentally.
Arun finishes his meal and moves to the bed again. He takes off Armand's jacket and then holds the pillow to his chest. Daniel watches as he lays on the bed, curled in the fetal position, his thumb pressed firmly against his lips. Arun glances at him in fear and then he slides his lips around his thumb to quietly suck.
Daniel doesn't comment.
He and Armand have so much to talk about.